Serves 4 – 6

Ingredients

1 cup (210g) Puy lentils
1.25kg (2lb, 12 oz) jap pumpkin, cut into 8 wedges, seeds removed
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
4 large brown onions, halved and thinly sliced
2–3 star anise
1/2 cup (125ml) grapeseed oil
1/2 bunch of kale, stems removed, leaves shredded
1 cup (200g) long-grain rice
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed
1/4 cup (40g) pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1/4 cup (40g) sunflower seeds
1/2 bunch of coriander (cilantro), stems finely chopped, leaves reserved
1 pomegranate
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and line two large roasting tins with baking paper.

Boil a kettle, put the lentils in a bowl and pour in enough water to cover the lentils by 1 cm (1/2 inch), then leave to languish.

Brush the pumpkin wedges with 2 tablespoons of the oil and sprinkle with salt flakes and pepper. Place standing up in one of the roasting tins and bake for 45 minutes, until golden and soft, turning the tray halfway through cooking. Meanwhile, put the onion in the other roasting tin with the star anise, grapeseed oil and a sprinkle of salt. Give the onion slices a good massage, then roast for 30 minutes. Once they start to caramelise on the edges, give them a little stir to let the ones underneath come up for hot air. They’re ready once coloured, softened and very sweet.

Using a slotted spoon, scoop the onion out of the roasting tin and set aside. Add the shredded kale to the roasting tin, tossing it through the leftover oil in the pan. Roast for 10–15 minutes.

Meanwhile, drain the lentils in a fine-meshed sieve. Add the rice, rinsing under cold water until the water runs clear. Tip them into your rice cooker, or a medium-sized saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Add the bay leaf, garlic and 3 cups (750 ml) cold water and stir. If using a rice cooker, walk away and live your life (see page 77 for why this is one gadget worth investing in). If using the absorption method in a saucepan, stir the mixture occasionally until the water comes to the boil, turn the heat down, put the lid on and cook for 15 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave to rest for 5 minutes more. Whatever route you took, once cooked, fluff up the rice mixture with a fork, and fish out the bay leaf and garlic.

Heat a dry frying pan until smoking. Add the pepitas and sunflower seeds and toss about for a minute or two, until slightly toasted.

Toss the roasted onion and kale into the rice and lentils with most of the toasted seeds and nuts, chopped coriander stems, and any oil left in the onion baking tin. Taste for seasoning.

Cut the pomegranate in half. Knock the seeds out of one half, add some of them to the rice mixture and toss well. Juice the remaining pomegranate half and mix the juice (and any extra juice from the seeds) with the pomegranate molasses, to make a dressing.

Place the mujadara on a serving platter. Arrange the pumpkin wedges on top. Scatter with the remaining pomegranate seeds and toasted seeds and nuts. Pour the pomegranate dressing over with an extra drizzle of olive oil, garnish with the coriander leaves and serve.

Extracted from The Joy Of Better Cooking: Life-changing Skills & Thrills For Enthusiastic Eaters by Alice Zaslavsky (Murdoch Books, £25).

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